Theory 08/Respiratory cycle/Progression phase
Progression Is Dead Space
The claim
Effective ventilation rate is set by the ratio of tidal volume to dead space, so rapid shallow breathing wastes work.
01Mechanism
Only the fraction beyond dead space reaches alveoli; the ratio sets alveolar ventilation per breath.
02Prediction
Effective ventilation should track the ratio.
03Refutation
Ventilation tracking rate alone would remove dead space.